Met Police will not charge Kneecap over "kill your local MP" video

Kneecap will not face any charges over a resurfaced video of one of its members allegedly shouting "Kill your local MP", the Met Police have confirmed.

The Irish rap trio have been investigated over two clips, the earliest being from a show in 2023 that allegedly shows member Mo Chara shouting: “The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP.”

Mo Chara, AKA Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, is currently facing terror charges over a second video, which allegedly shows him flying a Hezbollah flag — a banned organisation in the UK under the 2000 Terrorism Act.

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Kneecap have criticised the decision to charge Mo Chara, writing in a statement shortly after he was charged: “This is a carnival of distraction. We are not the story. Genocide is. As they profit from genocide they use an 'anti-terror law' against us for displaying a flag thrown on stage.”

In a statement to The Spectator, the Met said: “A thorough investigation has now been completed by detectives from the Counter Terrorism Command, which included interviewing an individual under caution and seeking early investigative advice from the Crown Prosecution Service".

“Relevant indictable offences were considered by the investigation team and, based on all of the current evidence available, a decision has been made that no further action will be taken at this time.”

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The clip of Mo Chara allegedly shouting "kill your local MP" was condemned by politicians, with Kneecap issuing an apology to the families of murdered MPs David Furness and Jo Cox — insisting that they “reject any suggestion that we would seek to incite violence against any MP or individual,” and that “an extract of footage, deliberately taken out of all context, is now being exploited and weaponised, as if it were a call to action.”

In response, a number of senior politicians called for Kneecap to be removed from festival line-ups this summer, including Glastonbury 2025 — though the duo still took to the stage at the Somerset-based festival over the weekend.

Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow her on Twitter